Latch.



A. c. PATTON.

7 INCH. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 6. 1916.

1,228,129. Patented May 29,1917.

& 51400144101 ALSON c. PATTION, or sE'nATH, MISSOURI.

LATCH.

I Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 29, 191?.

Application filed December 6, 1916. Serial No. 135,461.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALsoN C. PATTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Senath, in the county of Dunklin and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Latches, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to an improved latch and has for its primary object to provide a latch device which is especially designed for use upon swinging or sliding doors such as are generally used on barns, garages, freight cars, and in various other instances. I,

It is a more particular object of the invention toprovide a latch device having a plurality of latch bars arranged in spaced pairs, springs urging the latch bars in each pair toward each other, and a relatively fixed keeper element with which said latch bars co-act to lock the doorin its closed position.

It is another important object of the invention to provide an improved mounting and construction of the movable latch bars,

means operable from the interior of the structure for simultaneously moving all of the opposed latch bars to disengage the same from the keeper, each of the latch bars being further provided with means engageable by a key operated from the exterior of the structure, whereby the latch bars may be released.

It is. an additional general object of my invention to improve and simplify the construction of latch devices of the above character, render the same highly durable, serviceable and efficient in practical use. and reduce the manufacturing cost thereof to a minimum. I

WVith the above and other objects in view, my invention consists in the novel features of construction, combination and arrangementof partsto be hereinafter more fully described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figurel is an'elevation showing my. improved latch device applied to a door, the latter being latched in its closed positlon;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevation of the latch with the face plate removed;

Fig. 3 is a sectional View taken on the line 33 of Fig.2; y

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of one of the latch bars g V f Fig. 5 is a similar view of the-keeper ele ment; and

Fig. 6 is a detail elevation of the key, the

shank thereof being partly in section.

Referring in detail tothedrawing, 5 designates the body of a suitable case preferably constructed of sheet metal. case is adapted to be fitted into'a mortise cut in the door, and is provided with a face.

plate 6 which closes the open side of the case. Suitable screws are inserted through openings 7 in the corners of the face-plate 6, and similar openings 8 in the side wall of the case body 5, and are adapted to be This threaded into the door, whereby the case is securely held in place. The'end wall of the case body 5, at the edge of the door, is

provided with a slot or. opening indicated at 9, the remaining end portions of said wall constituting stop lugs 10 projecting inwardly from the upper and lower marginal walls of the case body.

11 designates the latch levers which are pivoted at one of their ends upon the rods or pins 12 fixed in the body wall of the-case and engaged in spaced openings in the face plate 6.. Any desired number of the latch levers llmay be employed, said levers be ing arranged in pairs, the levers in each pair being disposed in the same plane. Be-

tween each pair of levers, a partition or M division plate 13 is arranged within the case body, said plates being held or secured in place by the attaching screws and the pivot pins 12. 'A pin 14 is also fixed in the body wall of the case, adjacent to the opening 9, and extends. through the several division plates and an opening in the face or cover plate. The purpose of this latterpin. will be presently stated. i

The free ends of the levers 11 which project outwardly from the case, are beveled or inclined, as at 15, these inclined edges on the opposed levers in each pair extending. in relatively opposite directions. A notch 16 is formed in the lever at the inner end of this inclined edge, and adjacent thereto a second relatively shallowrecessl'? is provided inthe inner edge of the'lever. In spaced relation to these latterrecesses, the opposed edges of the latch levers have the relatively long, shallow notches 18, at the center of which a depression or recess 19 is formed, Between the notches; 18 and the pivots 12, a longitudinally extending re cess 20 is formed in the edge of eachlatch lever. A key pin 21 fixed in the body wall 2 of the case, extends transversely between these latter notches.

Each of the levers 11 is provided in its outer-longitudinal edge, in spaced relation to the pivot pin 12, with a shoulder 22. Against the shoulders in the levers in each pair, the extremities of a leaf spring 23 are engaged, and the intermediate portion of each of these springs is engaged around a pin 2-l which is fixed in the body wall of the case. The springs normally act to urge the levers toward each other, such movement being limited by the engagement of the inner edges of the levers at the notches 17 with the stop pin 14;.

25 indicates a keeper member which is securely fixed to the door jamb and consists of a plate having a reduced, angularly extending neck 26 on one end terminating in a triangular or arrow-shaped head 27. This head 27 projects outwardly and at right angles to the wall of the structure. It will thus be seen that when the door is swung to its closed position, the inclined edges of the head 27 engaging with the walls of the opposed notches 16, will force the opposed latch bars 11 in relatively opposite directions or away from each other against the action of the springs 23 until the ends of the latch bars are disposed inwardly of said head when the springs 23 will immediately act to return the latch bars to their normal positions and engage the same upon the narrow neck 26. If the device is applied to a sliding door, the beveled or inclined end edges 15 of the latch bars will ride upon the upper and lower edges of the neck 26 and again expand or spread the latch bars until the neck is disposed in the recesses 16. The outward or opening movement of the latch bars is limited by the inwardly projecting lugs 10.

Each of the partition plates 13 is provided with an opening 28 to accommodate the rotatable, substantially elliptical-shaped member 29, said member being disposed in the notches or recesses 18 in the edges of the latch levers and having its longer axis normally disposed in parallel relation to the longitudinal axis of the levers. A rod 30 extends centrally through the member 29 and is seated at one of its ends in a bearing recess in the body wall of the case. The other end ofthis rod projects outwardly from the face plate of the case and, to the same, a suitable knob or head 31 is detachably applied. By applying said head and rotating the member 29, the ends thereof are caused'to bear against the recessed edges of the latch levers to force the corresponding levers as a unit in relatively opposite direc-' tions until the ends of the member 29 are seated in the recesses or depressions 19, when the levers will be held in their open position. It will be understood that this operating device is operable only from the interior of the door.

In Fig. 6, I have illustrated an operating key consisting of a shank 32 having a. plurality of elongated, elliptical-shaped, spaced lugs 33 formed upon one of its ends, said lugs projecting upon opposite sides of the key shank. This end portion of the key shank is longitudinally bored, as at 34. The face plate of the latch case is provided with a keyhole slot, indicated at 35, which coincides with the recesses 20 in the edges of the latch levers. To open the door from the exterior, th key is inserted in the keyhole 35, the notches 20 and coinciding keyhole openings provided in the partition or division plates 13, said openings being of different lengths. It will, of course, be understood that the recesses 20 in the latch levers are also of different depths. Thus, when the key is turned, the lugs 38 will engage the levers in the respective pairs at differenttimes and all of the levers will not be actuated at the same time to disengage said levers from the neck 26 of the keeper. Thus, it will be seen that the latch mechanism cannot be easily actuated by persons who do not have the required key, so that opening of the door by unauthorized parties will be effectually prevented.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing,

the construction, manner of operation and several advantages of my invention will be clearly and fully understood. I have found my improved latch mechanism to be highly convenient and serviceable for the purpose of locking either exterior or interior doors upon barns, warehouses, garages, or other structures. cabinets, safes, and analogous articles. The several elements employed are of simple form, highly durable and efiicient in their operation and may be readily assembled in the lock case or removed for the purpose of repair when necessary. It will, of course, be understood that any desired number of pairs of the latch levers may be provided in the construction of the latch. The form and proportion of these levers, as well as the several other elements employed, may be greatly modified, and I, therefore, reserve the privilege of adopting all such legitimate changes as may be fairly embodied within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I desire to claim and secure by Letters Patent is In a latch, a casing, opposed levers pivotally mounted at one of their ends in the casing and movable in a single plane, the other ends of the levers projecting exteriorly of the casing, a fixed keeper member having a shank disposed at right angles to the levers It may also be employed upon and terminating in a triangular-shaped head, said levers being provided on their latter ends with opposed, divergently inclined faces and notches at the inner ends thereof, said inclinedfaces co-acting with the opposite edges of said shank in the sliding movement of the part to which the look and engage the same upon said shank behind the head, and a spring arranged within the casing and operatively engaged with the levers to urge the same toward each otherand hold the outer ends of the levers in operative engagement with the keeper shank.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ALSON O. PATTON.

Copies of this patentmay be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. G. 

